Katniss' Basket
by obsessivegirl73
Summary: After the war, Katniss wants to insure that she, nor anyone else, ever forgets the tributes of the 74th Hunger Games. So, she arranges a basket with tokens representing each tribute within. Oneshot.


Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games.

Katniss' Basket

The war and the Hunger Games are finally over. But their legacy still lives on, especially within Katniss.

She never wants to forget. So, she buys a basket from the grocery store and goes exploring to find things to remind her, so that she can never forget the contestants in her original, 74th, Hunger Games.

For Marvel, she wanders in the woods, looking for anything possible. She isn't sure what would be best for him. A net? A spear? But, eventually on the ground she discovers an arrowhead from centuries ago. She isn't quite sure how it survived all those years, but she is glad as it can serve a double meaning: It will remind her both of Marvel and how his spear killed Rue, but it will also remind her of the years that existed before Panem. That there were happier times then. If people then could be happy, then she can be happy now too.

It is much easier to decide what would remind her of Glimmer. She calmly walks to the jewelry shop one day while her kids are in school and asks to see their collection of gems. The owners gladly oblige- after all, she IS Katniss Mellark née Everdeen- and she examines them, at last finding a previously beautiful gem, now with a few scuffle marks. It fits Glimmer perfectly. A beautiful, strong Career who was brought down by simple things to become deformed. Even the strong can and will be brought down. A reminder of the rebellion as well.

Katniss knows immediately what she wants to have for Cato, but she isn't sure where to get it. She searches everywhere she can in the area she now lives, but she simply cannot find it. So, she admits defeat and travels to the former Capital. She quietly asks if she can have a little sample of a mutation's fur, which after much arguing, the leaders decide to give her. As she glances at it, she remembers Cato fighting with all his might to defeat those powerful, human-based wolves and at last asking for help. And she remembers giving it. The strong can fall from other strong things.

Katniss tries hard, but try as she might, she cannot think of anything that could represent Clove better than a knife. She tries to swallow her fear and walks into the weapons shop and asks quietly to see their collection of knives. The people gape quietly for a few moments before taking it out, and she immediately selects the smallest knife there, pays and leaves. As she places it carefully in the basket, she reflects that Clove's plan to kill her failed. As an extremely ancient poem stated, "The best laid plans o mice and men gang oft agley."

She never learned the District 3 boy's name. Katniss isn't sure she wants to now. The most prominent thing she remembers about him is that he rigged the bombs surrounding the Cornucopia. She couldn't very well put a bomb in the basket, but perhaps a small clock? She goes to that store and finds a stopped clock that nobody wants anymore, buying it for more than its value. She reflects, looking at it, that time is always running out, and they would never know when it was time for their end. The boy sure didn't know his.

Katniss knows next-to-nothing about the District 3 girl, only that she had died in the bloodbath. So, she decides to instead search for things that would remind her of District 3, electronics and such. She knows next to nothing about them, only that it's useful, so she talks to Beetee and makes her decision. A little circuit. They are useful things, which the girl must have known. She must have helped the rebellion too, a little, just by being involved in those fateful games. Perhaps she had helped District 3 become mad. Her little contribution had helped.

There is turning out to be quite a few tributes Katniss knows little about. She tries to remember the District 4 boy, only succeeding in the recollection of him being the only Career tribute to die in the Bloodbath. She, again, isn't sure of what to get for him, so she goes on a trip to talk to Annie and her son, who give her a beautiful sea shell. It wasn't quite what she had envisioned, but it certainly will do the job. It's beautiful, but not perfect. Even though he was strong, perhaps beautiful, he fell quickly, making him imperfect.

Katniss knows a bit more about the District 4 girl. She knows that she, although indirectly, killed her via the tracker jacker nest. She and Glimmer had became mutilated beyond repair. So, Katniss again visits the woods armed with the leaves that cure the stings, looking far and wide for a nest, the only time in her life that she would ever do so. She finds a few, and cautiously smokes the nests, hoping that she can find a dead tracker jacker. Finally she finds one, taking care to leave more smoke, before quickly leaving the woods. The creatures would always exist now. Part of a fallen world.

Time for the District 5 boy. Who she also knows nothing about. And honestly, how do you represent power? Katniss realizes it is time to be a little creative and decides to represent all of the bloodbath tributes as well as the boy. She goes out to all the stores, looking for anything that could possibly help. She notes the red paint in the general store and buys it before heading to a charms and trinkets store. After carefully searching she finally finds the mini bathtub that she was hoping to find. She takes both home and while her children are off at school and Peeta at work she goes back in their backyard and splatters paint all over the charm and herself. The blood of everyone weighing down on her.

Katniss has known what will represent Foxface from the start. She again voyages out into the woods looking for a nightlock bush and carefully pulling off a berry. That poor smart girl had fallen victim to probably one of the only berries she hadn't known. Yet, Katniss had later wondered if Foxface had known. She was certainly smart enough to know and decide that she didn't want to live the life of a victor. It was a mystery Katniss could never know. But, in any case, the incredible girl had fallen victim to a single berry.

And yet again, Katniss finds herself with the situation of not knowing anything about the District 6 boy. She is really starting to wish she had bothered to learn more about them. District 6 is transportation, so Katniss decides that she needs to visit the trinket store again. She can't help but think of Effie every time she hears trinket and grimly smiles. She wanders around, looking for inspiration and notices a mini train. That would be perfect. It would remind her of the trip to the Capital, the tribute, and the District, as well as the ever-changing paths that lives take.

Katniss sighs as she realizes that it is yet another bloodbath tribute she doesn't know, the girl of District 6. Time to find yet another trinket. The shop finds her there later that same day, wandering around the transportation area again. This time she notices a small hovercraft, which she again finds to be perfect. A hovercraft must have picked the girl up like it did all the other dead tributes. She decides to paint just a little small strip of red on it from the leftover red paint, and it looks right. It will never cease to remind her of the ever-impending deaths.

Will she ever get out of the tributes that she doesn't know? Katniss wonders. Time for District 7 boy. She decides that since there district was trees, that the woods are again the best place to go. She lies down in a meadow and takes a nap in the sun and when she awakes she finds a leaf tickling her face. For once she finds she can actually laugh and she twirls again, the first time since…since…since her wedding perhaps? The leaf is definitely the token for this boy. Somehow, in spite of the Games, it will remind her of the fun that still exists.

She is still out in the woods for the District 7 girl tribute, who she also knows nothing about. At least her nap has energized her. Katniss recalls that Johanna once commented on pine smelling like home, so she goes in search of a pine tree. It takes her until nearly dusk, and she's sure that Peeta must be mad with worry, but she has at last found a pine tree. She breaks off a small branch and takes in the sharp smell. There will always be something fresh, no matter where she is at.

Katniss is very exasperated as she realizes she, again, knows nothing about the boy tribute of District 8. But, she knows from the various District 8 citizens that it is the place where textiles like fabrics are created. So, her choice is fairly simple. She visits a fabric store and asks for a small strip of fabric, which the owners are only too happy to give to her. She sits in a chair at home and stares at it and the pattern of the weaving. All the little threads were interconnected- just like their lives.

Katniss stares at the wall in shock as she realizes she actually knows a bit about this tribute and that they have significance to her. The District 8 girl was the one who made the fire on the first night, the one that Peeta had comforted, as she had later found out from him. She goes to her fireplace and takes a small coal that wasn't burning. She can almost pretend that it is from the fire that the girl had built and that Katniss had cooked her food on. The girl had needed a little warmth in her life, just like anyone else.

A small smile spreads across Katniss' face as she remembers that the District 9 boy was the one that she fought over the backpack for. Not that he had to die, of course, but that she knew about another tribute. Almost as if she is on autopilot, Katniss finds herself walking back to the trinket store for what seems like the millionth time. She wanders around for some time before deciding to make a custom order of a mini orange backpack. The person at the register seems confused, but nonetheless helps and delivers the backpack herself later. Katniss reflects on everyone's conflicting interests.

Katniss sighs when she realizes she is back in the realm of tributes she does not know with the District 9 girl. Back to representing the former Districts. District 9 is various wheats, so she decides to go on yet another trip and goes to wheat fields. Several people stop and stare at her in the streets when she walks into a field to break the top part of a stalk off, she isn't quite sure what it's called, then walks back to the train. She made sure to leave money though. The littlest bit of kindness will work wonders.

Katniss knows little of the District 10 boy, but she does remember that he was the boy with the crippled foot. So, she needs to find something crippled. She finds herself wandering to the trinket store yet again, looking for something that could be crippled and also has to do with livestock. She decides to buy a horse's hoof and breaks it back at home. It's harsh, but it's what she needed to do. Katniss carefully places it in her basket and knows that seeming perfection can never last.

Katniss frowns as she realizes that it is another tribute she doesn't know, however she smiles as she realizes it is the last one she doesn't. By now, she is tired of going on trips to random areas and instead decides to order some sheep fluff. When it arrives, she rubs her face in it and feels how soft it is. Katniss desperately hopes this tribute got to feel how soft it is, since she lived in that District and all. Everyone needs some relief.

Katniss smiles sadly at the memory of Thresh, the big boy with a soft heart. May he rest in peace. She doesn't have to look far to find the object she wants to represent him. Just outside of her front door is a small rock, but big enough that she would not lose it. She recalls how angry Thresh became at Clove when she mentioned little Rue and how he had let herself, Katniss, go. Exteriors don't always match interiors.

Katniss is nearly crying when she reaches Rue. She didn't deserve to die. Rue was a beautiful little girl, just like Prim. If she had survived, she would have been so happy. Katniss fights her tears and goes into the woods one last time to find a small rue flower, succeeding quickly. When she sees it, her lower lip starts to wobble, and at last she lets her tears out. She isn't quite sure why she's crying now, but it certainly feels good.

This next tribute isn't hard to recall at all. She smiles in real happiness as she sees the smiling face of her husband Peeta and hugs him tightly. Peeta is a little shocked, this is rather uncharacteristic of Katniss, but he happily hugs her back. She asks him to bake some pita bread, which he is a little surprised at as well, but obliges. She takes a piece to put in her basket and knows that she will always love her husband, no matter what happens.

Katniss puts one last object in, and leaves the basket next to the door. She explains to Peeta and her children what it is, as well as each object. Peeta is nearly in tears, but her children are just curious and want to know more, more, more!

As, she pulls out the last item, she turns it around and they need no explanation.

It's a mirror.

**AN:** Finally expanded out of HP fanfiction! XD I really wanted to write an HG fanfic with the movie coming out on Friday, I hope you all enjoyed. :) this was somewhat inspired by various fics by the wonderful aimmyarrowshigh.

**Thanks for reading, and please review! :D**


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